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More than 77 guests stayed Saturday night at the Prince Albert City Council Greater Council building after it recently opened its doors as a temporary warming centre.
“This is our highest ever,” said Salvation Army Maj. Ed Dean.
It comes after a lone warming center in Prince Albert run by the Salvation Army was reduced to ashes hours after hundreds of plates of Christmas dinner were handed out to those in need.
The Prince Albert Fire Department (PAFD) said the incident happened just before 8 p.m. Thursday. Upon arrival, crews found the building engulfed in flames and heavy smoke, CBC News previously reported.
The fire department said crews were able to limit the spread of the fire and damage to adjacent buildings. However, the weatherization center building suffered severe damage and is expected to be considered a complete loss.
The last few days have been filled with help from community members, who Dean said have come out to help maintain the temporary center and care for those using it.
Even guests came back after closing at 10am to help with cleanup.
“We didn't have to do all that,” Dean said. “We are grateful.”
The environment is full of gratitude
Kimberly Jonathan, director of Indigenous relations for the YWCA and a member of the Prince Albert Grand Council, received a call about the fire on Thursday evening.
She wasn't prepared for the gravity of what she saw when she arrived at the Salvation Army building to find it engulfed in flames.
Jonathan made several calls, and soon the center's stakeholders came together to develop a plan for how to move forward. Jonathan said the group realized how much of a loss the warming center was to society.
“What was very touching was that we were able to avoid any delays in service. We opened our doors almost immediately to guests who needed warmth,” Jonathan said.
On Friday, stakeholders at the center released a statement announcing the temporary shelter at Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) City Services Building.
It will be available for use until January 2 and will be open every evening from 22:00 to 8:00.
“The community knew they needed to step up and we needed to offer them a place to regroup during the holidays,” Jonathan said.
Volunteers came from all over the city, including organizations such as the YWCA, Prince Albert Security and the Prince Albert Greater Council.
Jonathan said no one knows how the temporary shelter will turn out, but he believes in people's good intentions.
Many people came to drop off items, including food and clothing, in support of the Salvation Army. Jonathan said there are also people who roll up their sleeves to help prepare and serve food to guests.
“There [were] there were a lot of tears, there was a lot of common ground, we were just together,” Jonathan said.
Guests who came to use the temporary shelter were “very grateful.” She said many came with their hands red from the cold and were so grateful for the opportunity to stay warm.
“The environment is full of gratitude, the environment is full of helping each other,” she said.
A marathon, not a race
There has been a lot of talk about what the center's next steps will look like following the closure of the temporary shelter at the PAGC City Services Center on January 2nd.
While Dean assured that services will still be available, the issue is finding a permanent place to work.
“It’s just patience, one thing at a time,” he said.
On Saturday morning, Dean began taking stock of what he would need for the new center after the last building was deemed a total loss by the Prince Albert Fire Department (PAFD).
At the same time, he said, many people are offering whatever they can to help them through the recovery process.
“It's a team effort,” Dean said.
Many executives will be involved in deciding where to move the center next, and Dean said the picture should become much clearer in a few days.
Despite the uncertainty, he says he's interested to see where they go next, although they're “traveling along the way.”
“It's going to be a marathon. It's not going to be a quick sprint to the finish line.”
